Another Officer Down
by FloatingAmoeba
Summary: Post-ep for 'Officer Down'. Picks up after the final scene. Lilly is hurting, and someone finds her. Lilly/Scotty, obviously. Contains spoilers.


A/N So this has been kicking around for a while. Since 'Officer Down' aired, believe it or not! :) Picks up right where the final scene left off. Therefore be warned: this WILL contain spoilers for that episode! Not that there's no-one who hasn't seen it...

Disclaimer: Nope. Trust me, if the answer had changed, you would know by now!

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The department was dark, with only a few desk lamps casting a soft glow over the room. Scotty ran a tired hand over the back of his head. A sound reached his ears, so faint that he almost missed it. He took a few steps towards the interrogation room, listening carefully. _Who the hell sticks around here this late?_ Scotty pressed his ear to the door.

Someone was crying.

Scotty lifted a hand to the door knob, hesitating. Did he really want to open that door? What right did he have to disturb the person (female, if he wasn't mistaken) that had chosen to seek comfort in the interview room?

Shaking his head, the male detective opened the door.

"Hey, are you...?"

The words vanished from his tongue as Lilly scrambled to her feet, wiping her eyes in a futile attempt to disguise the fact he'd caught her crying. She turned away, clearing her throat.

"What are you still doing here?"

Scotty took a silent step towards her, still struggling to find the words to voice his surprise.

"What are you doing here?" she repeated, a hint of frantic desperation entering her voice.

"Broke up wit' Frankie. Didn't feel like goin' home."

She held back a sob, knowing that when he spoke again, her emotional walls would be shot to pieces. Scotty slowly lifted his hands to the top of her shoulders, uncertainly moving closer.

"Lil..." he whispered gently.

And that was it. Her shoulders trembled under the force of her sobs, and in one smooth motion, he had turned her around to face him, drawing her close.

Scotty slid his arms around her waist. He didn't waste his breath on whispering in her ear. He didn't tell her it would be OK, and he didn't tell her to let it all out or anything like that. He just held her tight against him, rubbing circles over her spine. Lilly cried into his shirt, the coldness of her tears soaking through onto his skin. After a moment, she let one arm creep up between them to clutch at the base of his throat. The other hand remained at her side, fingers tightly curled into her palm.

"He was going...to shoot you..." she sobbed brokenly. Scotty let his cheek rest on the top of her head.

"I know," he soothed, "I know."

When the sobs subsided, Lilly let him lean back slightly, smoothing her hair from her forehead. His brown eyes held hers, conveying everything he couldn't put into words with a single look. She gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod, and Scotty smiled reassuringly.

Reaching between them, he slowly prised open her clenched fist, her hand cold in his. With trembling fingers, he lifted the necklace from her palm.

"Turn around," he ordered softly. Lilly's eyes flicked uncertainly to his.

"Scotty..."

"Turn around," he repeated, and this time she did, turning little by little until her back was pressed against his chest. Scotty undid the clasp, looping it around her neck and refastening it. His fingers brushed the smooth skin of her throat, and he impulsively bent his head to press a kiss to the back of her neck. Lilly stifled a gasp, her fingers finding his sleeve and holding on tight.

"Don't hide anymore," he whispered, his voice lost in the space where her neck met shoulder.

Another wave of tears washed over her, and at the tenderness she heard in his voice, Lilly struggled to keep her emotions under control. She turned to face him, looking up at him with sad eyes. Scotty pulled her into a hug, his arms easily fitting around her slim body. Moisture continued to soak through his shirt, and he let his hands travel over the soft curves of her back.

Lilly unconsciously snuggled closer into him, letting her partner move his fingers through her hair. They stood for a while, until the blonde detective finally opened her mouth to speak.

"So what now?" she asked softly. Scotty inhaled sharply. Of all the things to come out of her mouth, he definitely hadn't been expecting that. He took a deep breath.

"Iwantarelationshipwithyou," he said, expelling the sentence on one breath. He felt Lilly smile.

"OK."

Scotty blinked in surprise at her simple reply.

"OK? I ain't gonna have to persuade you?" he asked in confusion. She looked up at him, and despite the redness around her eyes, Scotty thought she had never looked more beautiful.

"I can change my answer, you know."

"NO!" he replied quickly, "No."

For a moment, she just looked at him, thoughtfully chewing on her bottom lip. Scotty glanced down, and then her lips were attached to his in the most gentle, most heart-warming kiss he'd ever received. He pulled her closer, lifting her into his arms to deepen the kiss. Lilly ran a hand up his chest, over his firm muscles and then higher, finally coming to a stop on his cheeks.

With her feet at least six inches off the floor, and the heat bubbling in the pit of her stomach, Lilly really did feel as if she was floating. Scotty gently set her down on the table, letting his hands fall to her hips as his tongue stroked hers. When Lilly finally managed to prise herself away from him, she stared up into his face with wide eyes.

"Huh," she said in stunned surprise. Laughing, Scotty pressed his forehead to hers, gently wiping the tears away from her flushed cheeks.

"Yeah," he agreed breathlessly.

Her hands slid down his chest, over the toned muscles to fiddle with the buttons of his shirt. She opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated, and let her mouth fall shut again. Scotty bent his head to look her in the eyes.

"I didn't want to go to the hospital. I didn't want to see Will. You know, when we were in that store...with all that blood, I just..."

"I know, Lil. Me too," he said softly. She wrapped her fingers around the shirt, shaking her head.

"My dad gave me this stupid necklace. But he cared, Scotty." Tears once again threatened to spill over her eyelids. "He cared about me, enough to give me jewellery, and he doesn't even know about before."

"You haven't told him?"

Hearing the concern in his voice, Lilly looked up, meeting his soft brown eyes.

"It still hurts, Scotty. Every time I think about it, or talk about it...it still hurts."

"Why didn't you say somethin'?"

"I didn't want you to worry about you," she admitted in a tiny voice. He chuckled, grazing her cheekbone with his fingers.

"I _always_ worry about you."

"Did you mean it?" Lilly asked suddenly. Scotty frowned slightly.

"Did I mean what?"

"When you said you wanted a relationship with me. Because my track record isn't brilliant, and you mean too much to me to just be another..."

He cut off her rambling my pressing his lips down on hers and gently squeezing her waist.

"Today's jus' another day, Lil," he murmured, "an' then tomorrow, the day after that, we jus' gotta take it as it comes...me an' you, we got somethin' good. Right?"

"Right," Lilly agreed with a tiny smile.

"So if today taught is anythin', it's...?" he hinted.

"It's that we need to get out of here before somebody catches us and we both lose our jobs."

Scotty laughed, stroking the smooth under his thumbs where her shirt had ridden up.

"You gonna freak out if I ask you to come home wit' me?" he asked. Lilly looked up at him in surprise.

"Uh..." she stammered. He kissed her again, letting his lips do the persuading.

"Your place or mine?" he whispered after a moment, knowing that night wouldn't be spent alone, before he deepened the kiss. When he broke away, she was speechless, savouring the warmth that soaked from his body into hers. Lilly looked up at him after a moment.

"How do you feel about cats?"

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So it's fluff. Sue me. It wouldn't be the first time. Alternatively, you could leave me a really nice review instead. I always prefer reviews over lawsuits.


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